Riding revelations and lightbulb moments

ester

ester

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have you had any... just when it kind of clicks and makes sense :)

I think I can include...:o

1) discovering the outside rein existed
2) realising I could actually bend my elbows and this made life much better

am sure I have had more. I do like the fact I now have a pone I love cantering, that I can sit there and in the most just enjoy it.. but I don think that was lightbulb more quite a lot of hard work on both our parts! :D

so your lightbulb moments please! :D :D
 
After 15 years of riding and literally hundreds of lessons / training sessions, I got a new trainer who after 10 minutes of screaming at me to 'use my legs' he called me over and manhandled the top (thigh area of my leg) and asked me if there was something wrong with it... For 15 years I had equated 'leg' as anything from the knee down... I started using the whole of my leg and WOW what a difference!


Blitz
 
I had a lightbulb moment a couple of lessons back when I realised how to ride corners properly by keeping a steady contact with my outside hand and squeezing and releasing with my inside hand. Hurrah - it works briliantly :D
 
With Evil Bonnie Coblet, 'twas when I discovered half-halts could slow her down and possibly lesson the danger of me getting kicked by other horses! Also, I'm comfortable enough with her now that I can just jump on by myself without someone holding her :o

With Gwenny... She was just perfect! Our 'lightbulb' moment must've been last summer, at the RS, where I think I did three Pony Weeks in a row :eek::p A bit slow and ploddy, but when I rode her, I felt like nothing and no-one could touch me :D I miss her so so much :(

Now, riding Albert... Fat greedy pony! Must've been when we were picked to demonstrate circles, stirrupless and all :) I still love him, even though he STILL barges me out of the way EVERY lesson time to get to the same silly old pile of haylage! :rolleyes:
 
Yesterday I had a lightbulb moment!!!! :):):):)

I have been riding for 20 years now and still could not do sitting trot :o

Then yesterday I had a lesson with Spacefaer.....

Those choice words - "just think that you need to keep this area of your breeches in contact with the back of the saddle....." were all that it took, and I CAN DO IT NOW :D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Amazing :)

So for anyone who wishes to master sitting trot... Spacefaer offers excellent lessons at a VERY reasonable rate in north Gloucestershire :):):):)

BTW she has also got my little TB going better than ever before - for some reason when she says 'use your legs and stop fiddling with your hands' I listen :D
 
pmsl........ one of my main bugbears gazey... can do it on anything else but not the short backed v bouncy welsh! have got a little better but still pretty poor! does she travel? :p

spacefaer is clearly terrifying if you listen :)

which area of your breeches are we talking about :D
 
She does travel, but possibly may charge you travel costs to come to Somerset :D

I wouldnt say terrifying :p but I do seem to be having an awful lot of "oh THATS why they say that..." moments recently :D There are recurring themes (dont perch on the saddle, sit down into it when doing transitions... use more leg... that kind of thing :o) which at last seem to be making sense and sinking in?

I think Bob is saying "thank god, at last" :D
 
Hm. Mine was recently with the Whizz and her bit... She's shaking her head, but it's not like a headshaker; she's obviously not happy, but she's not trying to ditch me (not on purpose anyway lol); she is a sensitive soul, so maybe she's trying to tell me something...

...Changed the bit and the nosebad and Dizzy is happy and comfortable again :D :D :D
 
My tb can be a bit leany and not carry himself and because he is so long I have always tried to shorten him up so try and get him to carry himself - had a lesson the other day and instructor had me giving the contact to him on the leany hand and hey presto a horse that is gradually starting to not rely on me to hold him upright :)
 
After riding for ages being taught back in the 50's when you didn't keep lower leg on and having always ridden like this quite happily finding out that with new arab who is a bit lacking in confidfence it didn't work, friend advised keep all leg on all the time and lo and behold it works, not pushing just holding it there quite amazing!:D
 
stop fiddling, inside rein 'belongs to the horse', LEG ON (always having ridden hot/fizzy horses, this took a while to get my head around!), let the horse take you to a fence rather than over-riding it (got it on the last horse, taking a while on Dan to re-learn it)...
Most of all?
Be patient! Everything comes together in time, no point trying to force it, and persevering is sometimes better than just worrying! :p
 
My lightbulb moment was simply discovering that we could still jump, and - more importantly - that I can enjoy it. A wonderful feeling; I don't remember ever feeling this chilled out about jumping and competing :)
 
I think my mare had a lightbulb moment the other day!!! She hasn't jumped for about 12 years due to an accident. I've been riding her for 2 now. We can get over a pole on the ground with a lot (and I mean A LOT) of work from the ground then on board, and even though I thought it was just coloured poles that were the problem, its not. Its everything!!!

Anyway, I can get her over small branches on the floor and very small ditches with al lot more work and repetition which is great, but on friday, I took her upto to a small log (only about a foot high) and she kind of went 'Oh look mum, a jump!' And promptly trotted up and jumped it!!!!! Ok, we went rather quick on landing, but she responded to my aids and slowed with no fuss. EUREKA (sp!)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love her!!!!!!!
 
These are brilliant :D. I had a lightbulb moment out hacking today, literally two mins from turning into the yard, if I actually give him the reins slightly more, thinking he would do flip top head, but actually he stretched and softened more rather than bunching. I was sooo happy :P. Cue lots of pats and cuddles :p.
 
Mine was finally learning how to change the diaganol. Spent ages on the lunge and one day just clicked. Years later it is now second nature and cant believe how much i stressed over it lol.

For the horse was learning that he could actually canter on the right leg and be balanced x
 
My instructor kept saying 'elbows lower than your hands,to get me to relax my shoulders etc. I found this quite difficult until I realised I could actually raise my hands !! Doh!!
 
These are great to read.

Biggest eureka was probably last year when I had spent a year with my horse getting him to listen to me, slow down, come rounder and lower.

Then this day came when I was trotting round the arena with horsey nice and calm, undercontrol, long and low when my instrutcor say 'that's great jess, but could you just razz him up a bit, do transitions, wake him up'

I do this, feeling a little confused. I thought he was going quite nicely!

Next moment my instructor is getting me to do walk pirrouettes swiftly follwed by walk to canter transtitions.

A bit of this and then WOW. I have never felt a horse feel go like this before! He was jumping off my leg, doing lateral work, we even had extended trot. Couldn't believe it, felt like he had grown 2 inches and was flying, but all completely under my control and listening.

Was a great feeling and massively opened my eyes to how horses can be.
 
I'm another one for a change of bit, having ridden in the same one for 6 and a half years I changed it 6 months ago and genuinely can't believe the difference it's made.

We have also recently discovered that legs on DOESN'T mean 'go faster', and neither does a tap with the schooling whip :p

By far my favourite, though, was last week when I realised that I really do enjoy jumping, after a couple of years of being terrified of doing it :)
 
lol still likeing all these, thanks everyone :)

dibbin I wish that mine had worked out that legs/tap with whip generally does mean go faster ;) :rolleyes: :D
 
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